Automobile headlight lens



June 19, 1928.

1,674,460 w. H. ZORGER AUTOMOBILE HEADLIGHT LENS Filed Oct. 24, 1925 I 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Z I g? 1,792. @7277 72% W I A v 2/? Z Z/Z Q/Z/Z /Z/Z Z/ QZ/Z witnesses. flwerufiozr June 19, 1928.

W. H. ZORGER AUTOMOBILE HEADLIGHT LENS Filed Oct. 24, 1925 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor.

with, 85596. 7

Batented June 19, 1928.

I UNITED TA S y "1,674,460 PATENT orrlcs.

WILLIAM H. ZORGEB, OF CHLAMPAIGN, ILLINOIS.

AUTOMOBILE HEADLIGHT LENS. r

Application fl led October 24-, 1925. Serial No. 64,678.

In the United States Patent No. 1,604,- 213, granted to me October 26,1926, I have shown a lens or glass front, foruse'in connection with theparabolic reflector, which by its window and border, allows two different beams of light.

This lens converts all the li ht projected from the central area of the\reflector, exce" t a neutral zone one inch in width extendlnghorizontally through the central area of the reflector,-into a doublehalf cone of light, said-cones produced by circular prisms,concentrically arranged from a common center. 7

This so modifies the beam from the central area of the "reflector, thatit is spread wide-' ly but no rays are projected higher than thereflector axis. The beams from the center and border, are not by thislens .kept below the reflector axis, but form a separate higher beam,very concentrated, which is projected directly forward, in direct linewith the reflector axis.

It is the object of the present invention to improve this distributionof the light, by covering a substantial area of the border of thereflector, at least, with prisms, so arranged and having a prismaticstrength,

suflici'ent and so adjusted as to turn all this concentrated borderlight, to the right of the reflector axis.

falls to the right, in lieu of tilting this Heretofore, glare has beengenerall sought to be controlled, by keeping all the light below thelamp axis, by using prisms or by tilting the lamps or by both usingprisms and tilting, so as to keep the topof the wide beam below the lampand thus below the eyes of opposing drivers.

In my former construction, this is necessary to prevent glare, becausethis border, concentrated light, is above the top of the wide half cone,formed by the concentrated ring prisms covering this central reflectorarea.

In the present construction, this concentrated light from the reflectorborder, is turned by the vertical prisms, so all its light light downbelow the lamp center.

In the present arrangement, glare is controlled by tilting all thelight, projected from the central area of the reflector, below the lampcenter, while all the light from the border of the reflector isprevented from glaring opposing drivers,.by a prism ar- This inventionperforms a double function V to prevent glaring opposing drivers, bydepressing the central beam and turning to the right of the lamp centerthe border beam, so it falls to the left of opposing drivers, while myformer invention depends on the control of glare by depressing theentire beam.

This inventlon, produces an entirely different beam pattern, as comparedwith the ordinary glass fronts, in that a wide beam is produced withsome 60% of the reflected light, in which glare is controlled by theregular way of tilting its top below lamp center, while with theremainder of the light, reflected from the border of the reflector,glare is controlled by turning it to the right of the lamp axis.

This double function of my invention, will be better understood. by areference to the drawings, in which Figure 1 is a front view of myimproved glass front Figure 2 is a vertical section through the centerof Figure 1. Figure 3 is a horizontal section through the border ofFigure 1 and shows the prism arrangement completely covering the borderarea of the lens. These prisms it will be observed have their base setto the right and faces to the left. Figure 4 is a horizontal sectionthru vertical cylindrical prisms which are superimposed upon andentirely cover all the concentric curved prisms shown in Figure 1.

Figure 5, represents a horizontal section through the paraboloidalreflector and border portions of the lens showing the effect of thesevertical border prisms covering this otherwise neutral zone of the lensand the way these prisms with their-bases set to the right refract allthe light passing through this border area of the lens.

.Figure 6, represents a vertical section through a regular parabolicreflector and thelens.

\ represents the upper half of this v practically nil at the top, butrapidly infract all the light equall or to the same de- .an axis of from90 to 170 degrees.

Figure .3.

Referring, to the drawings in the several using the sectional minuscylinder, instead figures of. which like parts are designated of a planefaced prism, the increase in anguby similar reference characters, thefilament larity from the reflector is met with equal 13, shown in Figure5, represents the regular pace in the lens, which would not be the caseV-shaped filament and when placed with its were a plane faced prism usedinstead ofthis flat surface in the horizontal plane of the minussectional cylinder. reflector, a band of light ofappreciable The objectof the cylinders, above and bewidth is projected horizontally orparallel low the center of the lens as best shown by with the reflectoraxis. 6 and 7 Figure 2 is to meet with equal pace Where laws do notlimit beam intensity, and tendency of the rays to rapidly assume Iprefer making all these border prisms, a greater angle up and down fromthe center represented by 14, Figure 5, all the same of the reflector.depth and basic strength of .0075 inch more To meet the upward riseaplus cylinder, 6, or less when made 4; inch in width and with Figure 2,is used while the lower cylinder is a minus cylinder 7, Figure 2.

When these border prisms 14 Figure 5 are The circular prisms, while theydo not of the same basic strength, the light procover an extensive areaof the reflector, jected from the border area of the reflectornevertheless perform a very necessary funccovered by these borderprisms, will be tion in right lateral-beam control, in that shiftedbodily to the right, forming the origthey rapidly depress all rays 'oflight acted inal solid cone projected from this border on by them andbeing covered by sectional area of the reflector. thus giving a greatercylinders 10, Figure 4, which are sufliciently projection of the conethan is possible were strong. to spread the light right and left theseborder prisms stepped up the .0005 laterally, practically six inches perfoot, so

inch as shown by such a grading, 1 and 2 as to quickly light up theentire road bed on each side of the car and forward to a dis- Now sincethis central area will vary as to tance of some 200 feet.

height of the vertical beam projected, I pro- 1 These cylinders willpreferably be on av pose a novelarrangement of the prismatic radius ofinch which will allow a width elements covering this portion of the reofnch. Their axes will be vertical and flector as shown in Figure 6, inwhich 15, they will completely cover all the 7 or 8 cirwindow cularprisms above and below the horizontal window section, 6 and 7 Figure 1.

area and 16 the lower half.

The upper window 15, may have a vertical It will of course be evidentthat the con- '1 width of 1 inch more or less and-will extend structionof the various prisms andsectional laterally so as to cover all thatportion of the cylinders can be made of different widths reflector inwhich rays subtend an angle of and basic strength, as well asconstructing 1 degree and 11 minutes or more to the axis the cylindersections, on a different are of of the reflector. radius, so as to meetideas, of improvement It will be so constructed that itsrefractive infunction, as well as to meet the require.- W5

power will be strongest at the top of the sec ments of divers anti-glarelaws, being passed tion, since this area of the reflector projects andchanged from time to time, by the difierrays of considerable verticalrise and there ent States, since the drawings are to a eat fore thedeflection must be strongest at this extent only diagrammatic, and allwit out point. departing from the spirit'of the invention.

This upper window section is therefore Having thus described theinvention, what c, covered by this plus cylinder section, having I claimis: a radius of 6 inches or more, so the refrac- 1. A re-fracting lensor glass front for antion decreases gradually down toward the tomobileheadlamps, having an annular borbottom of this section, where itcorresponds der in which all prisms are set with their to the center ofa plus lens and the rays are bases to the right and having a substantialleft unrefracted. a window area in which the upper half of the The lowersection 16. is a minus sectional window is a plus sectional cylinder andthe cylinder of 1 inch width more or less, withMlower half of saidwindow area, a minus its base down. The action of this section issectional cylinder, bases down.

2.' A refracting lens for automobile headcreasesfrom the centenof thereflector equal lamps having an'annular border comprising pacecwith theangularit of the rays reprisms with bases to the right, window clflected from the area of t e reflector covered inders with bases downand horizontal, m by this part of the lens. tervening prisms curved onan arc of a wide A plane faced prism would deflect or resegment of acircle, each with a different radius and with a common center at thecengree which Is not desire since the rays are ter of the .lens andhaving the outer surface parallel 1n the central meridian of the rofeach circular prism covered with small flector, but increases rapidlydown, and by strong sectional vertical cylinders. v

f 1,074,4eo

3. A lens or glass front for headlamps having a substantial annularborder covered with vertical prisms, bases to the right, having acentral area with horizontal curved 5 prisms bases down, having theintermediate surface covered with concentric ringed prisms, with acommon center, with bases

